Four allegations of electoral irregularities in Bradford were being investigated by police today.

Police and Bradford Council chief executive Tony Reeves, who is the district's returning officer, have also received complaints about alleged intimidation and treating - where votes are obtained in exchange for gifts - in the Great Horton ward.

A new system to check signatures and dates of postal voters in a bid to combat fraud swung into operation at the Hilton hotel in Bradford on Monday.

Salman Mather, the Council's head of democratic services, said officers were checking some votes which had been rejected by the scanning process. They could then be passed on to police.

Two reports of postal vote fraud relating to Bowling and Barkerend ward and Heaton ward have already been investigated by police, who decided no further action was needed.

  • The counts for the Bradford Council elections start at 9.30am on Friday with the first results expected about 1pm. As soon as they are declared, they will appear on the rolling election results service on our website at www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk.

A comprehensive analysis of the full results and the implications will appear in Saturday's Telegraph & Argus.

  • Police were todaycarrying out inquiries after shots were fired through the living room window of a house in Hawes Avenue, Little Horton, Bradford, at 11.30pm on Tuesday. The house is understood to be the home of a Bradford Council election candidate.